[CHORAL MUSIC PLAYING] ROCCO CASTORO: There is a place
in Russia where people have discovered the secret of
living in perfect harmony. A place where the children run
free, where the Earth provides everything you need, and where
money is meaningless. Welcome to the Church of
the Last Testament. This is Petropavlovka, a small
settlement located deep within the Taiga Forest of Siberia,
over 100 miles away from the nearest town. It looks like an elf village at,
like, a putt-putt course. About 20 years ago a handful
of disciples came here to worship and live with Vissarion,
or "the teacher," as he is commonly known. Today, Vissarion's Church of
the Last Testament has over 5,000 followers from all
around the world. About 2,000 live here and in
the surrounding areas. [SINGING IN RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: I came here in
hopes of meeting the man himself, who hasn't granted an
interview to the media in at least three years. VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Two decades ago,
that man was known as Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, a
29-year-old patrol officer who suddenly had a revelation that
his was the word of God. VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Conveniently,
this realization happened right around the time
the Soviet Union, a self-proclaimed nation of
atheists, began to crumble, and religion became an
acceptable topic of discussion in Russia. He soon began writing the Last
Testament, a 12-volume follow-up of sorts to the New
Testament, which details the religion's major tenets and
provides answers to some of life's most mundane questions,
such as which brand of detergent you should use. Labeled a dangerous cult by
some, it has been reported that Vissarion and his followers
believe in aliens, think suicide is A-OK, and
believe that the end of the world is imminent. There are rules here that
I was warned about-- no cussing, no tobacco,
no alcohol, no meat. I believe it's all vegan. I've got to watch my mouth
because I have a dirty mouth. And I like meat, I like
drugs, sometimes. There's none of that here, so
it's going be good to dry up. I was invited here by one of
the church's more recent converts, a 24-year-old woman
named Tamriko, who worked as a lawyer in Moscow before moving
here three months ago. She now works the German House,
a sort of guest house for the spiritually curious. Why don't you give me a little
history of how you got here? TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: When I first
heard about the teacher, it was me like this kind
of thing that-- wow. It was like, this is the only
source of all information, of all answers, and this is a
real teacher of the truth about the world. And so-- ROCCO CASTORO: Something
feels-- TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: And sometimes
you need answers. You need, just, answers. ROCCO CASTORO: Answers, yeah. TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: And somebody
will explain you, like, everything. He will explain your life. Why are you doing this. Why you have some problems-- problems with your health,
problems with your life. For what purpose, actually,
you are living. ROCCO CASTORO: I see. And one of the things that a
lot of people have said is like, oh, it's a cult. You know? How do you feel about that? It has a bad connotation. TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Usually,
I don't think anything about this. Do you know why? Because I think that if some
people find that this person can help them, and they
want to pray to this person, why not? ROCCO CASTORO: OK, yeah. TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Why
not, it's very good. ROCCO CASTORO: Is there anything
that you perhaps disagree with here, with-- TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Here? ROCCO CASTORO: --the teaching. With teachings, you know? TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE:
No, no, no, no. ROCCO CASTORO: OK. Disagreeing with Vissarion's
teachings is rare, which became very apparent after
meeting Tanya, a patron of the local girls school-- a place where young ladies go to
learn "the discipline," as she put it. Is part of the lesson
plan set aside for study of the teacher? TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: So, do you ever
have strong girls that maybe resist, and they're not so with
that line of thinking? TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: As tempting as
brainwashing my girlfriend into misogynistic slavery
sounded, I had mountains to climb and deities to meet. I had been invited to celebrate
the Holiday of Good Fruits at the Abode of Dawn, a
small mountaintop community where Vissarion and his closest
followers live. I stopped at the general store
to get supplies for the hike. So I have the luxury, after a
40-hour trip, of eating a CCC pop, We just bought provisions
for two days. This is kind of the
treat before-- I don't even know if
I'm supposed to be eating this, to be honest. I don't know what Vissarion's
stance is on candy and ice pops. But it's hot, so. Mmm. I climbed into a Soviet-era
bread loaf and begin the bumpy drive up the hill. And we've got a good crew, just
materialized here at the base of the mountain. Looks like we're about
ready to go. My hiking companions had
traveled from Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, and beyond,
all in hopes of catching even a glimpse of the elusive
Vissarion. MALE SPEAKER 1:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Along the way,
I met Maciek, a university student from Poland. What did you come
here seeking? ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH]. We made it to what appeared to
be a border crossing, and the attendant took down
our details. MALE SPEAKER 2:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Yes. Our guide, Nina, led me to the
place where I'd be staying for the next two nights-- the home of a lovely Russian
family who immediately offered me cold vegetable
soup and bread. FEMALE SPEAKER 1:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Vissarion's
serene gaze watched over us as we ate our blessed meal,
spiritually charging us for the upcoming nighttime
liturgy. We're going to go see what
worship is like here. I feel like I'm kind of in a
different world, to be honest. [SINGING IN RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: The pre-holiday
liturgy didn't seem too different from a
Christian Mass. But I would come to find out
that things weren't that simple here. Still, all the followers had
been very pleasant so far. Only a few seemed to have the
crazy stare of a cult member. I ran into Maciek and asked him
how he was settling in. So how have the accommodations
been? MACIEJ RAFINSIC: What
accommodations-- very, very well. I met nice people. We had a nice conversation. And then they asked me, when did
I accept the teacher and his teachings. And I said, well, I'm not
really a follower. And then there was, like,
a minute of silence-- second of silence. And it felt uneasy. But they got over it. But I think they felt a
little disappointed. ROCCO CASTORO: [CHUCKLE], OK. And are you-- they have our passports. MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I know. ROCCO CASTORO: [INAUDIBLE]. Are you a little concerned
about that? MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I am. It's like, you know-- yeah, so I don't want to be
insulting, but you come to the place which is far away from
anywhere in the world. You come to people who are known
to be members of a cult, of a religious group of-- ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH] MACIEJ RAFINSIC: --of
some sort, now. Let's put it like this. And then they take your
passport away straight when you-- ROCCO CASTORO: And they
were pretty-- MACIEJ RAFINSIC: They are pretty
persistent about that. ROCCO CASTORO: Yeah. Physically and spiritually
exhausted from my long journey, I turned in for the
night to rest up for the Holiday of Good Fruits and our
first glimpse of Vissarion. MALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Today is August
18, which is the high holy day of the year-- the Holiday of
Good Fruits, the Church of the Last Testament's most
important holiday. Basically, it's their Easter. It was on this day in 1990 when
Vissarion first realized his divine connection to God
and established his church. It's the reason that thousands
of Vissarionites from around the world have gathered
here today. MALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: We began our
ritualistic procession up the mountain, a five-hour
journey replete with ceremonial washing-- that felt good-- mood music, and supremely
positive vibes. [SINGING IN RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Looking back, I
think it was supposed to serve as a sort of mental palate
cleanser for what lay ahead. Up the mountain we go. Part of the reason I wanted
to come here-- the world seems to be in a
pretty bad way right now. This seems to be an idyllic
community, so maybe Vissarion has some answers for
us on how we could better live our lives. Or maybe he's just
got it right, and people should come here. They're actually pretty
good musicians. Oh wow, beautiful. I found a little friend in this
hole here, watching us. He looks very surprised,
like us. Wide-eyed. Stopping again for
another hymn. Something happened to me while I
was walking up the mountain. Was I experiencing the initial
stages of indoctrination? Everything looked
so beautiful. And the people seemed
so happy. I began to wish that I could
be more like them. Slava, another in a long line of
guides/minders, didn't want me to miss the site where the
site where Vissarion literally left his mark on
mother nature. SLAVA TKACHENKO: The teacher,
when the first time on this mountain, take your hands
on this stone. And after we turned the stone,
we see this letter, it was the first letter of his name-- Jesus. In Russia, kha, letter kha. You may see it. ROCCO CASTORO: Yeah,
we should see. Is it OK for me to touch? SLAVA TKACHENKO: Russian kha. ROCCO CASTORO: Kha. SLAVA TKACHENKO: Christos. In English, Jesus. ROCCO CASTORO: Christos. It's there. [NERVOUS LAUGH] While the rest of the followers
gathered around the stage where Vissarion would soon
give his sermon, Slava took us to visit the monastery
for young boys. A trampoline. [LAUGH] SLAVA TKACHENKO: For jumping. ROCCO CASTORO: I'll jump. [LAUGH] NINA: Andrei is the master
of those boys. ROCCO CASTORO: Of
all the boys. Why do you live here? Why did you come here? ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: We sat down with
17-year-old Ivan, who, among other things, was learning
the "masculine professions." IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: How long
have you been living at the monastery? IVAN KOZLOVSKY: Two years. ROCCO CASTORO: Two years. And how do like it? IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: What's your
favorite thing to do during the day? IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Are
you planning on starting a family soon? IVAN KOZLOVSKY: [LAUGHING]. [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] [LAUGHTER] ROCCO CASTORO: Do you
have in mind a, maybe, a potential wife? No? [LAUGH], OK. That's it. We'll stop there. [RUSSIAN]. IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH] Beautiful. Wow, that's amazing. You can see they're clearing
out this side over here. Perhaps to build more housing. Their numbers are continually
growing. I see why people stay, though. It's very beautiful. People who are interested in
joining the community and living here, is there anything
that one must do to become part of the community? Or can you just come
and live here? ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: If I moved here,
I'm an editor and a writer, so, I'd have
to learn Russian. But perhaps I could
help with that? NINA: [LAUGH], You
will be welcome. ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Hmm, a place
where negative characters don't exist. That sounded pretty
good to me. Clean energy? Healthy living? Virgin brides? I started wondering if the Abode
of Dawn could be that place for me. Here we go. I'm going to hurt myself. [LAUGHTER] ROCCO CASTORO: And then,
finally, it was time for us to get our first glimpse of
the teacher himself. [SINGING IN RUSSIAN] MALE SPEAKER 3: [SPEAKING
RUSSIAN OVER LOUDSPEAKER] Any moment, now, Vissarion's
going to descend from the stairs and address
everyone here. And as you can see, everyone's
eagerly anticipating it. I have not doubt in my mind that
they believe he is God. And it's interesting and kind of
scary, too, to see so many people have so much faith
in one man, or god. MALE SPEAKER 3: [SPEAKING
RUSSIAN OVER LOUDSPEAKER] [SINGING IN RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: We had traveled
thousands of miles to the middle of nowhere in Siberia
to see this man, Vissarion, address his congregation on what
they call the Holiday of Good Fruits. It was sort of spooky. [WHISPERING] Vissarion's making his way
down now, very slowly. Very Christ-like. [SINGING CONTINUES] ROCCO CASTORO: And just as
Vissarion was about to share some infallible nuggets
of wisdom-- VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: --they made
us turn off the camera. After giving a short sermon
in hushed tones, Vissarion blessed bread made by the
community for the ensuing feast and bid his followers
farewell. CONGREGATION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: So we just
have finished the sermon with the teacher. And Nina's going to translate
a little bit for us of what was said. NINA: I remember exactly
his first phrase-- "I'm glad that you still
survive." Because everybody was laughing. And then he spoke about that
we, all of us, are pupils-- ROCCO CASTORO: Pupils, yeah. NINA: --in the school of life. ROCCO CASTORO: "We are
all peoples in the school of life"? I guess that's true. But I'm not sure it provided
me with any answers. We're going to see if we can
interview some pilgrims. Some people that came to see
Vissarion from afar. What is your feelings
about Vissarion? FEMALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Why did you make
the journey here today? MALE SPEAKER 4:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: How did you first
hear about the teacher? MALE SPEAKER 5:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Compared
to years past, does he seem happy? Does he seem in good spirits? MALE SPEAKER 6:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: After the
liturgy, we ran into our Polish friend, Maciek. ROCCO CASTORO: How
do you feel? I mean, do you feel that there's
something about him that's beyond human? MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I don't
want to insult anybody, but I don't, no. I feel it's an interesting
place and an interesting person. And I think these people
around me want to live a good life. And I do appreciate that. But I don't perceive
him as divine. ROCCO CASTORO: After mingling
with some members of the congregation, I headed to bed
to rest up for the next day and my big interview
with Vissarion. There's a lot of
stars tonight. I was talking with Slava about
the beautiful and clear nighttime sky, when he told me
that stars weren't the only things up there. ROCCO CASTORO: You've
seen UFOs? ROCCO CASTORO: What
did it look like? ROCCO CASTORO: Three spheres. Yeah, OK. ROCCO CASTORO: See it too? The next morning, we got up
bright and early and took a secret path to Vissarion's
home. So we're finally here at
the teacher's house. And we're going to interview a
man that many people believe to be the word of god. I suddenly became very
anxious about my meeting with the teacher. What if I actually had an
audience with someone who is the word, and perhaps
flesh, of god? [INAUDIBLE] Why did you agree to an
interview with me? Because I know that you haven't
for quite a bit. VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH] Are you regretting it now? OK. I want to know about Russia. Was it a coincidence, or was it
just happenstance that this community came to be around the
same time as the fall of the Soviet Union? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: I think I
understood what he was saying. But I was struggling with how
to tactfully ask someone who looks like Jesus if he's the Son
of God without coming out and saying it. You're very Christ-like
in your appearance. I'll say it this way-- do you
have memories of Christ from 2,000 years ago? Do you carry on in that
way, in that lineage? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: That's probably
as close to a yes as I was going to get. It seems like the world is-- there's lots of riots. There's uprisings. Is the turmoil and conflict in
the world right now worse than you've experienced? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Was Vissarion
talking about Armageddon? Naturally, I was curious as
to when that might happen. Is that coming soon? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: Talk about
dancing around the subject. I switched gears, and,
remembering Slava's extraterrestrial encounter,
asked him about the church's stance on what they call
"the outer space mind." VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: I have to admit,
Vissarion lost me somewhere in between the end
times and soulless aliens. Still, I could see how his
followers could really get into this stuff. It's a hell of a lot more
interesting than Adam and Eve and the crucifixion. The teacher's handlers
signalled that it was time to wrap up. But I was determined to slip
in a few simple questions that, with any luck, would
be answered in a straightforward manner. How about food. What's your favorite
dish to eat? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: A man
without penchant-- which apparently extended to
answering questions in a fashion that I could
understand. But this was my last shot. At the very least, maybe I could
glean something about the purity of my own being. Just meeting me briefly,
can you tell me anything about myself? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH] I'd say-- So last question. If you could tell one piece of
advice that our viewers here could follow relatively easily,
what would it be? VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] ROCCO CASTORO: OK. I'm not sure if I was supposed
to or not, but there is no way I was leaving without a photo. So I hopped right in there. [RUSSIAN]. So we've finished our journey
here, and going back to New York City, and pollution,
and terrible people. In other words, all the things
that I find weirdly comforting. What can I say? I'm a man of modern
convenience. But if it ever gets too much
for me, if the scum of humanity becomes so sticky and
viscous that I can't scrub it off, I know there's a place
where I can drop out and be at peace. And the next time someone
complains to me that everything sucks, or our
problems are unsolvable, I'll just tell them-- there's this place you can go
in Siberia where they'll accept you with open arms. A place where the children run
free, where the earth provides everything you need. And where money-- [SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
He's obviously NOT Jesus...he doesn't even speak English!
In the Jerusalem there's actually a clinic for people who come and say they're the Messiah or Jesus coming back. If causing enough uproar they can be ordered there. Weirdest thing, if they have it, must be the waiting room. Hi, who are you? The new Messiah. And you? Me too!
Wolf in sheep's clothing at it's finest.
Makes you wonder if there's anything going on beneath the surface.